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Testaverde, Jets agree on 5-year deal

April 27, 2002

Vinny Testaverde will spend the rest of his NFL career with the New York Jets after restructuring a contract that had been salary-cap prohibitive.

The new five-year deal announced Friday stretches bonus money through the life of the contract, allowing the Jets to avoid a $9.5 million bonus due in June. Testaverde will earn about $4 million this year in base salary and could earn another $2.5 in bonuses.

The contract calls for the 38-year-old Testaverde to earn a base of $1 million, with incentives based on playing time, in the other four years.

- Edgerrin James, who missed 10 games last year with a season-ending knee injury, skipped the Indianapolis Colts' mandatory mini-camp Friday in an apparent contract dispute.

The Colts say the two-time NFL rushing champion breached his contract by not attending and by not making himself available for team doctors to examine his injured left knee.

Polian said James would be fined up to $5,000 per day.

- Running back Correll Buckhalter, who was expected to play a bigger role in Philadelphia's offense this year, is likely gone for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The injury occurred at the Eagles' first off-season mini-camp. Buckhalter stumbled while making a cut after catching a short pass and was taken off the field.